


Something’s Coming, Something Good

by butyoucantnemo



Category: Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist (TV)
Genre: Awkwardness, Best Friends, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Kinda, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, Work Conference, heart songs, post 1x08
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-04-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:08:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23405794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/butyoucantnemo/pseuds/butyoucantnemo
Summary: Things with Zoey and Max have been awkward since he walked in on Zoey singing to Simon. And to make the situation better? Joan is sending them to a weekend work conference...just the two of them. What good can come of that?
Relationships: Zoey Clarke/Max Richman
Comments: 67
Kudos: 142





	1. Uh Oh...

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone!!
> 
> This is my first time writing in this fandom! I’ve been scouring this website for new Zoey/Max fics and figured I should contribute something to the mix!
> 
> I’ll try to update this as fast as I can, but don’t attack me if I’m slow to update!
> 
> (All mistakes are mine.)
> 
> I hope you all enjoy!!

To say things were a little tense between Max and Zoey would be an understatement. To be honest, Zoey didn’t know what the hell was going on with Max. Ever since she sang him the heart sing and then he walked in on her singing to Simon, he’d been all over the place towards her. One minute she would catch him staring at her with “heart eyes” and a wistful smile, while other times, she could sense a rising anger based on his body language and could see his look of barely contained betrayal and disappointment.

All in all, Zoey was crazy confused.

With everything happening with her dad’s declining health, development planning for The Chirp, her powers spiraling, and Max’s bipolar attitude towards her, Zoey was overwhelmed, to say the least.

And her overwhelmed state only increased more throughout her days. .

Today, a Friday, was a day like most others, full of work, stress, confusion, and a few heart songs here and there. Zoey was carrying on like normal when Joan calls both her and Max into her office just before their lunch break.

With great hesitancy, they both rise from their seats and slowly make their way to her office, exchanging questioning glances, and praying that it had nothing to do with their musical performance that took place during the pitch meeting just a few days prior. They walk side-by-side, reaching Joan’s see-all office and standing in front of her desk, waiting for whatever their boss had to say to them.

“Relax,” Joan assures with a minuscule smile on her face, “you aren’t in trouble. I just have something to talk to you two about.”

Still apprehensive about the whole ordeal, Zoey calmly asks, “Okay. What do you need to talk to us about?” She glances over at her best friend, who looks just as confused as her, before turning back to look at her boss.

“Well,” Joan starts, folding her hands in front of her on the desk, “I’m sending the two of you on an all-exclusive work conference happening this weekend. You’ll fly out to Atlanta bright and early tomorrow and attend a conference at 3 o’clock where you’ll present the last eat information about The Chirp, and then you’re free to spend your time however you want until you fly back late Monday evening. Depending on when your flight leaves the airport, you should get into Atlanta with enough time to eat lunch and explore the city a little before the conference starts. Your hotel rooms won’t be available until 3 o’clock so you’ll have to leave your stuff behind reception until you get back from the conference tomorrow evening.”

Stunned by the information she was just told, Zoey stands in silence, looking between her boss and her coworker/best friend/maybe-crush before Max speaks up.

“W-what? Why us?” Max asks after about a minute of silence.

“Well, you and Zoey proved to me you can work well together on presentations, even if the whole song and dance is not exactly my idea of an ideal presentation. Zoey knows the timeline for The Chirp and you have good public speaking skills. I figured the two of you together make a weirdly perfect team,” Joan finishes with a smile and a hint of mischief in her eyes, though Zoey doesn’t know why. “So, go home early, pack up your things, get a good night’s sleep, and be up bright and early for your 4 a.m. flight tomorrow morning, since they’re three hours ahead of us. Sound good?” Joan finishes with a tone that stops all arguments.

“Yeah, cool…cool, cool, cool,” Zoey mutters as she spins on her heels to escape the interaction. Without making eye contact with anyone, namely Max, Zoey grabs her things from her desk and heads towards the elevator.

As she’s making her way to her escape, she hears the faint sound of string instruments playing, immediately recognizing the tune from the only musical movie she ever remotely enjoyed.

_“Could be! Who knows?_

_There’s something due any day;_

_I will know right away_

_Soon as it shows._

_Who knows?...”_

Zoey turns around in her spot to see Max slowly approaching her, crooning his latest heart song. She watches rapt attention as he glides gracefully around the room, weaving through various coworkers, and comes to stand right in front of her.

_“It’s only just out of reach_

_Down the block, on a beach_

_Under a tree_

_I got a feelin’ there’s a miracle due_

_Gonna come true_

_Comin’ to me!”_

As the tempo picks up, Max jumps away from her and starts dancing around the room, circling Zoey. She finds herself giggling with amusement as she watches him make a fool of himself in his gleeful state.

_“Could it be? Yes, it could_

_Something’s coming, something good_

_If I can wait!_

_Something’s comin’, I don’t know what it is_

_But it is_

_Gonna be great!”_

She watches with fondness as Max’s face stretches into the biggest grin as he comes to stand right in front of her, looking her directly in the eyes as he finishes his song.

_“Who knows?_

_It’s only just out of reach_

_Down the block, on a beach_

_Maybe tonight_

_Maybe tonight_

_Maybe tonight”_

Everything snaps back to reality as Max finishes his big number. Once Zoey gets a hold of herself, she sees Max standing in front of her, a question on his lips.

“You ready for this, Zo?” he asks, playfully nudging her shoulder before pressing the button for the elevator.

A little taken aback from the performance and the sudden feelings that came crashing over her upon seeing Max sing like that to her, Zoey breathlessly answers, “Yeah, yeah. And you?”

“Oh yeah, it is gonna be great!” Max answers enthusiastically, unintentionally quoting the song he just belted a minute earlier. As they both step into the elevator, Max wearing a big smile and Zoey wearing a slight grimace, she ponders what’s in store for her the next coming days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you guys think! I love hearing your thoughts and comments! <3
> 
> And of course, thank you for reading!


	2. Early Morning Wakeup Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zoey tries to push her feelings for Max away in preparation for their weekend conference. But that’s a little tough when Max keeps showing her how much he cares for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!!
> 
> I tried to update this as quickly as possible so I don’t keep you guys waiting! Hopefully I’ll have this done by the end of the week (no promises though)!
> 
> (All mistakes are mine.)
> 
> Anyways, I hope you all enjoy!

Zoey’s alarm blares through her apartment at 2 a.m. the next morning. She wanted to give herself an hour to fully wake up and head out the door and an hour to get through airport security and stop for breakfast, hence the heartbreakingly early alarm. Groaning as loud as possible, she flings her arms out from their solitude under her covers and turns the alarm off, reluctantly sitting up. Zoey gets out of bed and starts muddling around her room, grabbing the last of her things that needed to be packed in her carry-on. She’s right in the middle of fixing her hair and doing her makeup when there’s a knock on her door.

Confused as to who would be at her door this early in the morning, Zoey hesitantly, and tiredly, exits her bathroom and makes her way to her front door. Checking the peep hole in her door, she lets out a sigh of relief when she realizes it’s just Max at her door.

She unlocks her door and gently swings it open, looking at her best friend with a sleepy, genuine smile on her face.

“Well good morning,” Max softly says, wearing a mega-watt smile on his face, holding a carrier containing multiple cups of coffee. Zoey motions with her hands, non-verbally inviting him in.

“And, uh, good morning to you too? What are you doing here, Max?” Zoey asked with confusion laced in her voice. “Not that I’m not glad to see you,” she worriedly assures, “I just figured we’d meet up at the airport or something.” She takes one of the coffees in the holder as he offers it to her with a soft expression.

“Well, we, uh, we never really talked about our game plan for today so I figured I’d come over so you could get some coffee in your system and we could carpool to the airport,” he says as a slight blush grows on her cheeks. Zoey can’t help but smile at that; he really is the sweetest man she’s ever met.

Quickly, she shakes her head to snap out of her thoughts. Now is not the time to have lovey-dovey thoughts about her best friend who just so happens to be in love with her. Before he can take notice of her inner-turmoil, she softens her expressions and smiles at him.

“Well thank you. Lord knows how grouchy I get in the morning without my coffee, especially _this_ early in the morning,” Zoey says with amusement in her voice. Max huffs out a laugh and then the two fall into silence, just looking at each other, seemingly frozen in time.

There’s only silence for a few seconds before Zoey hears the tell-tale sound of the beginning of a song, if the instrumental opening is anything to go off of. As the instruments play their opening, Max continues to stand a few feet away from her, softly smiling at her.

_“Oh, maybe I came on too strong_

_Maybe I waited too long_

_Maybe I played my cards wrong_

_Oh, just a little bit wrong_

_Baby I apologize for it”_

Max lightly sways in his place as he sings the first verse to the song. Zoey recognizes it as an Ed Sheeran song (thanks to Mo’s teachings).

_“I could fall, or I could fly_

_Here in your aeroplane_

_And I could live, I could die_

_Hanging on the words you say_

_And I've been known to give my all_

_And jumping in harder than_

_Ten thousand rocks on the lake”_

As the song picks up a little, Max slowly makes his way over to Zoey, tenderly grabbing one of her hands and delicately placing his other hand on the small of her back, pulling her gently into his chest. With his best friend in his arms, Max begins to sway them to the beat of the song he sings.

_“So don't call me baby_

_Unless you mean it_

_And don't tell me you need me_

_If you don't believe it_

_So let me know the truth_

_Before I dive right into you”_

At the chorus of the song, Max spins Zoey out of his arms, each one of their arms outstretched, still maintaining their hold on each other. They very slowly return to their original positions as Max belts the song directly to Zoey, looking her intensely in the eyes.

_“You're a mystery_

_I've travelled the world_

_And there's no other girl like you_

_No one, what's your history? (What's your history?)_

_Do you have a tendency to lead some people on?_

_'Cause I heard you do, mmm”_

Max twirls Zoey a few times as he sings the second verse, watching her with a content smile as she giggles through the movements.

_“I could fall, or I could fly_

_Here in your aeroplane_

_And I could live, I could die_

_Hanging on the words you say_

_And I've been known to give my all_

_And lie awake, every day_

_Don't know how much I can take”_

As she comes down from her high of being spun and twirled about, Zoey finds her way back into her best friend’s arms, soaking in his warmth as she listens to the meaning of his heart song.

_“So don't call me baby_

_Unless you mean it_

_Don't tell me you need me_

_If you don't believe it_

_So let me know the truth_

_Before I dive right into you”_

Zoey and Max continue to sway with each other as he finishes his song to her. When the music fades out, Zoey finds herself gazing at his face, studying his features while she’s up close to him. They stand in each other’s arms for a minute, just looking at each other, before Max drops his arms, causing Zoey to immediately miss his warm presence around her.

Feeling lost as to what should happen next, Zoey quickly says, “I, uh, I should finish up packing.” She turns to move towards her bedroom, needing a moment alone to get ahold of herself. She knows that Max has no recollection of singing to her just then, even if they somehow ended up in each other’s arms. Zoey tells herself that she should mention the song to Max soon, since he obviously doesn’t like being kept in the dark about any heart sings he’s sung to her, but for right now, she’s going to hold off from telling him that information and get herself mentally prepared for this potentially torturous weekend with her best friend/secret crush.

“I’ll wait out here. We’ve gotta head out in a few,” Max calls out. Zoey can practically hear the smile in his voice from her bedroom.

It takes Zoey about five minutes to gather the rest of her stuff in her carry-on bag before she’s turning out the lights and making her way to the living room, where Max is sitting on her couch, watching TV with a gleeful smile on his face. A floor board squeaks as she makes her way to the room, alerting Max of her presence.

“Ready?” Max asks, holding his hand out to take her bag from her. She nods, wearing a small smile at his kindhearted gesture, and grabs her purse and their cup holder of extra coffees. Zoey finishes turning out the lights and the TV while Max makes his way to her front door. With a quiet sigh, she finishes her task and makes her way to him, closing the door behind her and locking it.

“This is gonna be awesome,” Max exclaims excitably as he skips towards the stairs, leaving Zoey to watch his back as he descends to the next level down.

“Oh boy,” she mutters to herself as she puts her keys in her purse, “this is gonna be interesting.” And with that, she casts one last look at her apartment door, Mo’s door, before making her way down the stairs, towards whatever is awaiting her this weekend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you guys think! I love hearing your thoughts and comments! <3
> 
> And of course, thank you for reading!


	3. Chat Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zoey and Max make their way to Atlanta and stop for lunch before heading to the conference. Awkwardness ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!!
> 
> This chapter might not be the best thing ever; I had massive writer’s block trying to work this part out. But nevertheless, I hope you all enjoy!
> 
> (All mistakes are mine.)

They take Max’s car to the airport, where they park after 15 minutes of driving. It takes them a minimal amount of time to get through security and get their tickets sorted out, especially since it’s still before sunrise. The two have enough time to finish their coffees from earlier and get breakfast before they’re called to board.

Over breakfast, Max and Zoey make casual conversation about everything, ranging from the conference, updates on her dad, work gossip, and even reminiscing about their shared college days. Both of them steal shy glances at each other when they think the other isn’t looking, but refrain from bringing anything sensitive up, as to not ruin the good mood between them.

“We should probably head to our boarding gate,” Zoey says as she checks her watch. Nodding in agreement, Max begins cleaning up their mess while Zoey gathers her stuff together. Once they’re all set to go, the two take off for their gate just in time from their seats to be called. Joan scored them first class tickets on one of the nicest airlines so they’re the first to board the plane, sitting next to each other in the huge, weirdly comfortable seats.

The flight takes about four and a half hours and Zoey and Max pass the time by going over their upcoming presentation while sipping a few drinks.

When all is said and done, Zoey and Max make it out of the Atlanta airport at 12ish eastern time.

With their carry-one’s in tow, they make their way over to the hotel Joan set up for them. Since their rooms wouldn’t be available until 3 o’clock, they talk to reception and leave their bags safe with the staff before making their way to lunch.

Zoey lets Max pick out their lunch restaurant, which happens to be a very _very_ Italian restaurant in town. Zoey watches Max with suspicious eyes as they take their seats in the five star restaurant.

“This, uh, this is _really_ nice,” Zoey mock-whispers while glancing around the room. Max just laughs heartily at her and before she can say anything else, the waitress approaches their table.

After the waitress leaves their table with their orders, Zoey and Max are left in a weird silence as they both figure out what to do with themselves. Max, being the great people person he is, doesn’t seem to be fazed by the weirdness and starts happily blabbering about whatever he can think of. They talk about non-trivial things throughout their meal until a silence falls upon them once again.

“So…uh, how’ve your powers been treating you these past couple days?” Max asks in a slightly-hushed—and equally shy—tone, wanting to fill the silence but still wondering if he should broach that particular subject.

“Well,” Zoey starts as a blush creeps on her pale complexion, “the other night, I ordered in Chinese takeout and belted out “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You” to the box of veggie fried rice, right before I was about to eat it, so….” After her admission, Max sits there, looking at Zoey incredulously for a few seconds before bursting into full-body laughs, to the point of tears. They get strange looks from the other seated guests by Zoey can’t bring herself to care as she stares at the laughing man in front of her with so much love she has to look away.

It takes a few minutes for Max’s laughter to die down, leaving them both with smiles on their faces, not knowing what to do next. Deciding not to beat around the bush, Zoey decides to talk to Max about what’s been on her mind since he sang to her this morning.

“So, hi, um, after I told you I had powers, you told me to tell you anytime you sang another heart song?” Zoey tells Max, waiting for his confirmation before continuing. “Well, this morning, back at my apartment, you, uh, y-you sang another heart song…to me,” Zoey finishes with a little wince.

“O-okay,” Max stutters after a few moments of tense silence, “w-what song was it, Zoey?”

Suddenly ten times more nervous then before, Zoey quietly says, “I, uh, it was an Ed Sheeran song. Dive?”

“Holy shi—,” before he could finish his statement, a loud guitar strum comes out of nowhere, startling Zoey and making her pray that another song wasn’t about to start. Realizing the guitar noise only lasted a second, she relaxed a little before turning all of her attention back on her friend.

“Y-yeah. We, uh, you started singing after you handed me my coffee and then we started dancing around my kitchen while you sang,” she nervously admits as a blush spreads across her face.

The moment she finished her statement, the waitress approaches their table with the check. Deciding to hold off the inevitable conversation with Max, Zoey strikes up a little conversation with the waitress as she ruffles through her purse, pulling out her credit card and handing it to the waitress to scan on her tablet. After making the transaction, the young women hands Zoey her credit card back and tells them to have a wonderful day before walking off.

Avoiding eye contact with her crush, Zoey stands up from her table, slipping the jacket off of her chair and putting it one before grabbing her purse, ready to leave the situation she put herself in as fast as possible. After a couple seconds, Max slowly stands up and walks over to her side of the table, gently placing his hand on the small of her back, leading her out of the restaurant in silence.

“We should, we should probably make our way over to the conference. Doesn’t hurt to be early,” Zoey says with an awkward chuckle, not knowing what to do with herself.

And when she turns her head to hesitantly look at him, she hears it: the sound of a heart song starting.

When she fully looks at Max, Zoey sees him move his hand away from its spot on her back and start clapping along to the beat of the song.

_“Cut my heart about one, two times_

_Don't need to question the reason I'm yours, I'm yours_

_I'd move the Earth and lose the fight just to see you smile_

_'Cause you got no flaws, no flaws._

_I'm not tryin' to be your part-time lover_

_Sign me up for that full-time, I'm yours, all yours.”_

Max continues to clap along to the song as he softly croons to her. He begins dancing around her, in the middle of the crowded Atlanta street, and soon enough, an entourage of dancers join in with their own choreographed moves, right before the chorus starts.

_“So, what a man gotta do?_

_What a man gotta do?_

_To be totally locked up by you_

_What a man gotta say?_

_What a man gotta pray?_

_To be your last "Goodnight" and your first "Good day"_

_So, what a man gotta do?_

_What a man gotta do?_

_To be totally locked up by you_

_What a man gotta do?_

_What a man gotta prove?_

_To be totally locked up by you.”_

As the chorus starts, Max makes a grab for her hands and begins to goofily dance with her, causing a surprised laugh to bubble out of Zoey. Deciding to enjoy the silly moment, Zoey lets loose and allows the song-induced Max to spin and dip and twirl and lift her as she laughs and sloppily dances along. The other dancers form a circle around the two friends, doing their whole routine while Zoey and Max are, literally, in their own little world.

_“You ain't trying to be wasting time_

_On stupid people and cheap lines I'm sure, I'm sure_

_So I‘d give a million dollars just for you to grab me by the collar_

_And knock on these doors, these doors._

_I'm not tryin' to be your part-time lover_

_Sign me up for the full-time, I'm yours, I'm yours, woo!”_

As Max sings the second verse, he and Zoey start making their way down the street, goofing around while being followed by the synchronized dancers.

_“So, what a man gotta do?_

_What a man gotta do?_

_To be totally locked up by you_

_What a man gotta say?_

_What a man gotta pray?_

_To be your last "Goodnight" and your first "Good day"_

_So, what a man gotta do?_

_What a man gotta do?_

_To be totally locked up by you_

_What a man gotta do?_

_What a man gotta prove?_

_To be totally locked up by you.”_

By the time Max finishes, both of them are breathless from their dancing and grinning like maniacs. Zoey’s grin falters though when she realizes Max has no idea or memory of what just happened.

Deciding to bite the bullet and get it over with, Zoey blurts out, “You just sang to me…again. This time it was something like ‘What A Man Gotta Do’.”

Heaving a sigh at what she just told him, Max simply mutters with a shake of his head, “Jesus, let’s just go to the conference already.” And with that, he places his hand in its designated spot on the small of her back and hails a cab. Zoey can’t help but grin though; usually, she feels a sense of dread whenever she hears a heart song but this time, she can’t help but giddy and dazed by the fun performance Max just put on for her. She bites her lip as she looks shyly at his face; maybe the weekend wouldn’t be so bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you guys think! I love hearing your thoughts and comments! <3
> 
> And of course, thank you for reading!


	4. Hotel Rooms and Heart Songs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a long day, Max and Zoey head back to the hotel, leading to sleepy car rides, startling realizations, and overdue confessions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!!
> 
> I just want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who has read this story! It means the world to me that you guys are enjoying reading this as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it. 
> 
> That being said, this chapter puts the story at a good stopping point, meaning this’ll be the last planned chapter! If you guys are really itching for more though, I can certainly come up with more!!
> 
> (All mistakes are mine.)
> 
> I hope you all enjoy!!

The rest of the day passes by in a blur of presentations, schmoozing with big business people, and eating the delicious food catered for the event.

Max and Zoey do perfect on their product presentation and get to enjoy the rest of the day knowing they did good enough for Joan’s high standards.

They stay at the venue until 11 o’clock before calling it a night and getting a cab back to their hotel. Though both of them are exhausted from the day, Zoey proves to be more tired as she quietly falls asleep on Max’s shoulder on the ride home, with Max humming softly in her ear and lightly combing through her vibrant hair, not helping her stay awake in the slightest.

They say in their positions for the long car ride to the hotel and when the cab parks right in front of their destination, Max unconsciously places a delicate kiss on Zoey’s forehead and rouses her awake, ever-so gently.

She wakes up slowly and turns her head upward to look at Max in the eyes, smiling sleepily at him as he gazes down at her. He quickly, but softly, kisses her forehead again, before he has time to doubt his action, and retracts his arm from where it was wrapped around her.

They sluggishly exit the cab, Max rounding the car to Zoey’s side and Zoey unapologetically wrapping both hands around his arm as support while they walk inside the hotel lobby.

Seeing as Zoey is still half-asleep and not in the mindset to talk to anyone but him, Max takes the lead and walks them to the reception desk, telling the receptionist Joan’s name, since Joan _was_ the one who booked them their room.

“Alright, sir. Here are your bags you left behind earlier and the key cards to your room: number 706. Enjoy your stay!” the lady at the reception desk tells Max as she hands him their things.

“Wait, it’s only one room? Are you sure?” Max asks, curious as to why Joan would book only one room for the two of them.

“Um, yes sir. There’s only one room booked under that name,” the lady kindly tells Max.

“Hmm,” Max hums in thought before turning his head to Zoey, who seems to be falling asleep against his arm, “guess that means there’ll be two beds. Maybe Joan’s just saving some money with the one room.” And with that, Max thanks the receptionist and drags both the suitcases and Zoey to the elevator, ready to get into bed after the exhausting day they had.

The elevator ride up is as peaceful as can be. Soft music fills the small space as Zoey unconsciously moves her head from his arm to the crook of his neck. Max can’t help but smile wider at her movements, also noticing just how perfectly Zoey’s head fits in that spot, almost like the missing piece to a puzzle.

They reach their floor level and Max gently leads Zoey to their room a little ways down the long hallway. As they reach the door, he drops the luggage from one hand and uses the now-free hand to push one of the key cards into the door slot, effectively opening the door for them.

As Max tries to juggle keeping the door opening, picking up their bags, and keeping Zoey in her spot against him, she gently stirs from her sleepy state and reaches a hand out to brace the door. She pulls fully away from him in order to help them get through the door, smiling sweetly at him as he passes her through the threshold.

She continues watching Max walk through the room and grows curious when she sees him stop in his tracks and heavily drop their suitcases on the floor beside him. Wanting to see what the fuss is all about, Zoey moves from her spot at the door and walks into the room to stand right next to him.

The sight before them makes her stop in her tracks right beside him.

“There’s only one bed…,” he whispers, almost inaudible if not for their close proximity. Slightly stunned into silence, Zoey slowly cranes her neck to get a good look at his face, just as he slowly cranes his neck down to get a good look at her.

And that’s how they stand for a good two minutes, just staring at each other, unable and unwilling to say or do anything.

Finally, Zoey, who is now much more awake, leisurely moves to pick up her dropped suitcase and makes her way over to the tiny couch seated in the corner of their large hotel room.

With her actions effectively pulling him out of his stupor, Max shakes his head and says, “No. No way you’re sleeping on that, Zo. Not while I’m here.” He moves over to where she is walking toward and gently nudges her in the direction of the bed. Once she’s away from the couch, he grabs his suitcase and heads toward the sofa much like she had, knowing full well that there’s no way he’d allow Zoey to sleep in an uncomfortable place just so he would be more comfortable.

Except, when she sees him move toward the couch, Zoey quickly strides back over to him and says, “Well I’m not letting you sleep on that either, Max. I’ve slept on much worse, just let me take the couch and you can take the bed.”

Vehemently shaking his head, he plops down heavily on the couch saying, “Nope, not happening. You, bed; me, couch.”

“No, I’m not letting you sleep there, Max,” Zoey says, raising her voice a little to get her point across.

“Well I’m not letting you sleep on this and you’re not letting me sleep here either, so what are we supposed to do?” Max asks, also raising his voice a smidge.

At that, Zoey stares at him intently, turns the other direction, marches up to the bed, and plops down. Figuring that the issue was settled, Max slowly gets settled on the couch, before he hears Zoey clearing her throat from across the room. Turning to look at her, he sees her shaking her head and patting the empty side of the bed.

“Come on. Let’s both just suck it up and share. I’m not taking no for an answer,” Zoey tells him in an unusually confident tone, leaving no room for arguments.

Deciding that agreeing with her is easier than arguing with her, Max sighs and rises from the couch, picking up his bag and placing it on the floor beside his side of the bed.

“Fine,” Max huffs good-naturedly, “just let me get ready for bed. Happy?” A smile stretches on her face at his amused and exasperated tone, and she finds herself involuntarily blushing as he makes his way to the bathroom.

She stares at the closed door of the bathroom for a few seconds before moving off of the bed and over to her suitcase, pulling out everything she needs to her nightly routine. She changes into her pajamas while Max hops in the shower, reminding herself that she is in dire need of a shower in the morning, since she’s too tired to take one tonight.

She prepares herself for sleep—taking her makeup off, washing her face, brushing her teeth, combing her hair—and goes to lay back down on her side of the bed, just as Max exits the bathroom, clad in his boxers and an old college t-shirt.

Zoey can’t help by stare at the man as he moves around the room, eventually climbing into bed beside her. There’s a great deal of distance between them on the queen-sized mattress but Zoey can still feel the warmth radiating off of him. They avoid eye contact with each other for a few silent seconds before something seems to pull both of them to look at the other through the dimly-lit room.

And as she stares into the eyes of the man she knows she loves, Zoey begins to hear the sound of instruments playing. But this time is different; this time, Zoey can feel that _she’s_ the one about to sing the heart song, not Max.

_“In my life there's been heartache and pain_

_I don't know if I can face it again_

_Can't stop now, I've traveled so far_

_To change this lonely life.”_

Zoey’s voice cutting through the thick silence of the hotel room startles Max, which makes sense considering he doesn’t have the power to hear the actual background music of a heart song like she can. It takes him less than a second to pull himself together before he moves closer to her on the bed, captivated by her beautiful voice and the words of her heart.

_“I wanna know what love is_

_I want you to show me_

_I wanna feel what love is_

_I know you can show me.”_

Unlike the usual over-the-top song and dance routine that most of the heart songs have, this particular one is calming and relaxed, keeping Zoey in relatively the same place. The only real movements she makes are the inches she moves closer to Max on the bed, eventually meeting him in the middle.

_“I wanna know what love is_

_I want you to show me_

_I wanna feel what love is_

_I know you can show me.”_

As the music in her head fades away, she moves her hands slowly, gently cupping his cheeks and looking him intensely in the eyes. Max reacts by delicately grabbing her by the waist, pulling her impossibly closer to him—practically in his lap now.

They stay in their positions for what feels like hours, just staring deeply at each other, before Zoey’s eyes start to slowly glisten with tears.

“I love you,” Zoey whispers to him, lightly stroking her thumbs over his lips and cheeks as she begins to cry harder. “I-I love you, but I’m scared. I’m so s-scared that one day I’m going to l-lose you. Max, I c-can’t lose y-you.” At her words, she drops her eyes down to her lap, refusing to look him in the eyes.

“Hey, hey,” Max starts, his own tears clouding up his vision, “don’t talk like that, Zo. You’re not loosing me. I don’t care what happens, you’re never going to lose me. Ever. Okay?” Max watches as she chokes on her sobs, desperate to make her feel better in whatever way he can.

“Hey, Zo,” Max says, moving a hand up to her face and tilting her head up so she looks him in the eyes once more, “I love you. I love you so damn much it scares me sometimes. But you can’t be scared to start anything just because you think you’ll lose me. How do you know if something isn’t good if you don’t try it first?”

Zoey just stares at Max with so much love it takes his breath away. And then it happens: Zoey kisses him.

Max has dreamed of kissing Zoey for months, maybe years, now—that’s how long he’s been in love with her. And now that it’s actual happening, it feels too good to be true. Max pulls Zoey flush against his chest before moving his hands to cup the delicate curves of her face. They both pour all of the love they’ve been feeling into the kiss, and it only ends when they both run out of breath.

“I love you…so much,” Zoey whispers with overwhelming adoration in her voice, openly staring at the man she loves.

“I love you too, Zo. Never forget that,” Max says before moving to place soft kisses all over her face, causing her to let out light giggles and making both of them smile widely.

“Bedtime? We can talk more tomorrow,” Max asks before placing one last kiss on her lips.

“Yeah, bedtime,” Zoey confirms as Max slides them down from a seated position into their sleeping positions.

“Goodnight Max. I love you,” Zoey says, her words muffled as she presses her face against his broad chest.

“Night, Zoey. I love you, too. More than you know,” Max admits as he presses a soft kiss to the top of her head.

And as they drift into blissful slumbers, Zoey can’t help but be thankful for unexpected heart songs, work conferences, one-bed hotel rooms, and the man laying underneath her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you guys think! I love hearing your thoughts and comments! <3
> 
> If you have any suggestions for future stories, just let me know and I’ll try (key word: try) to make the idea happen! 
> 
> And of course, thank you so much for reading! It’s truly been a pleasure writing this!


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